Playful Banter
by chalantness
Summary: "Though sometimes it's like watching your two younger siblings and two older siblings flirt, and then they kiss."  —Jay/Mia ft. Mike/Em


Jayden/Mia**  
>"Playful Banter"<strong>

"I'm going to… get some fresh air," Antonio mumbles, not waiting for a response before ducking his head and darting for the door.

"Antonio!" Emily calls after him, but the Gold Ranger is long gone. She shares an anxious look with Mike, who purses his lips and nods at her, and they both stand from their chairs. "We'll go try and talk to Kevin," Emily informs, waiting for the acknowledging nod from the other three before taking Mike's hand and leaving.

Mentor Ji clears his throat and moves to take the Claw Zord. "I'll put this in Antonio's room."

Again, Mia and Jayden can only nod silently and watch their mentor disappear, leaving just the two of them. Jayden runs a hand over his jaw and through his hair, sighing.

"They'll both come around," Mia offers.

"Maybe," Jayden says tentatively. "But how long until then?"

She gets up and walks towards him, and he shifts a little to make room beside him, letting her place a hand on his shoulder as she sits. "Antonio _is_ new to our team."

"It doesn't help that Kevin can be hard to please." Looking up to meet her eyes, he reprimands himself. "I'm sorry. That was inconsiderate."

"We just have to be patient. It'll all work out in the end, because they both have an amazing leader to help them," she reminds.

"Being a leader has nothing to do with this."

"Well, you're not just ordinary leader," she informs, smiling as she drapes her arms over his shoulder and leans against him. He doesn't move away. In fact, she feels him shift a little towards her, resting his head against hers. She closes her eyes and smiles a little wider in response. "You're Jayden, _our _leader, and that has _everything_ to do with this."

His chest vibrates lightly as he chuckles. "Why is it you always know the right things to say to me?"

"You're not that hard to read."

"That's not a good thing for a samurai."

She laughs and lifts her head, opening her eyes to meet his. "I meant _for_ _me_. You're not that hard for _me_ to read."

He smiles. "I guess that saves me a lot of trouble."

"Of having to be the lonely leader," she finishes, lingering for a few seconds before gently pushing off of him and rising to her feet. "I think I'm going to go find Antonio."

He nods, and then takes the hands she offers to pull him up. "That sounds like a good idea. Take Emily and Mike with you, okay? I want to talk with Kevin."

* * *

><p>"And it all works out in the end," she sings, drawing his attention from the article in his hands. He grins and puts the newspaper aside, watching Mia as she sinks into his cushion and nudges him with her shoulder. "See? I told you that you can pull us through anything."<p>

"But I had nothing to do with it."

She elbows his ribs half-heartedly, laughing at the feigned groan he lets out. "You know that's not the point."

He can argue that it was most definitely her point _yesterday_, but decides to let the thought slide. He isn't about to argue with her about something that makes her so happy.

"At least I know _you_ had fun today," he says instead.

She smiles widely. "Of course! I love making little kids smile," she gushes. "Seeing the way their faces light up is the best."

"You'll make an amazing mother someday," his voice lowers. She blushes almost automatically, but how could she not? "Just like you made a beautiful bride."

He turns to look at her and she has the most stunning smiles he's ever seen. She's practically glowing and he'll admit that he feels _something_ spark through him, especially knowing that _he_ was the cause of that smile. He likes this, being close to her. It was calming.

"_You_ always know the right things to say to me, too," she informs giddily.

He tilts his head towards her, his tone playful but almost mocking. "You're not that hard to read."

She beams and leans forward to press a kiss on his cheek, except at the last moment, her mind thinks otherwise and she presses her lips with his.

At first, he feels shocked because it wasn't at _all_ what he was expecting her to do. Then he can just marvel at how soft and sweet her lips are before he responds by kissing her back. When she shifts, her hand falls on his leg and they both sort of gasp and pull away, seeming to have woken up from the situation long enough to let the shock of how quickly everything happened sink in.

Surprisingly, though, they remain leaning against one another.

"Um," Mia mumbles. "Whoa. Sorry?"

"Don't be."

She looks up at him and laughs a bit nervously. "I guess I got a little _too_ happy there because I'm glad it's _you_ who can read me, you know?"

He smiles at her. "The feelings are mutual," is all he says, and her mind only has a second or two to wonder if he is talking about being able to read each other or about their _kiss_ before he is getting up and taking her hand. "Would you like to join me for a walk? I suddenly have a craving for ice-cream."

She beams and lets him pull her to her feet, intertwining their fingers. "I'd love to."

* * *

><p>"Hah! I <em>told<em> you that Jayden would ask her out first," Mike exclaims as soon as the happy couple—pair, really good friends, _whatever they are_ _now_—are out of earshot. "That's my boy."

"Nuh-uh," Emily protests. "Mia _kissed_ him first! That totally counts as the _first move!_"

"No, I believe that the terms of the bet were whoever asked the other out first," Mike corrects, turning to Kevin and Antonio. "You guys heard that, right?"

Kevin laughs and shakes his head. "I don't want to be involved in any one of your little lovers' quarrels over there."

"How do you live in a house that's full of couples?" Antonio asks.

"You get used to it," Kevin answers. "Though sometimes it's like watching your two younger siblings and two older siblings flirt, and then they kiss."

Mike shakes his head and turns back to Emily, who has her arms crossed over her chest and her lip sticking out. He groans and runs his hands through his hair. "No fair, Emily," he complains, but she remains silent and stares him down. He lasts all of five seconds before exhaling. "Fine, fine. We _both_ win. Deal?"

She breaks into a smile, jumping up and down as she claps excitedly. "Yay!"

"You know my terms," Mike reminds.

Emily smirks before pulling him down into a kiss, which he gladly returns, and says, "I was wrong. You were right," when they part.

Mike grins smugly. "I'm glad you finally admitted it."

"Now it's _my turn!_"

He rolls his eyes but doesn't fight his smile as he pulls her close. "Why don't we go to the movies, Em? My treat. And you can pick _whatever you want_."

She beams triumphantly and links their arms together, half-towing him towards the front door. "I'd love to!"

* * *

><p><strong>An.** Sorry if it just skips from the beginning to the end, but all my eyes saw when watching this episode at first were the subtle interactions between them (: Jay/Mia and Mike/Em are pretty much canon in my mind, so everything between those four on the show is just an amazing bonus!


End file.
